thou would'st be loth 20
To be such a traveller as I.
To be such a traveller as I.
William Wordsworth
The inert
Were roused, and lively natures rapt away! 20
They who had fed their childhood upon dreams,
The playfellows of fancy, who had made
All powers of swiftness, subtilty, and strength
Their ministers,--who in lordly wise had stirred [5]
Among the grandest objects of the sense, 25
And dealt [6] with whatsoever they found there
As if they had within some lurking right
To wield it;--they, too, who, of gentle mood,
Had watched all gentle motions, and to these
Had fitted their own thoughts, schemers more mild, 30
And in the region of their peaceful selves;--
Now was it that both [7] found, the meek and lofty
Did both find, helpers to their heart's desire,
And stuff at hand, plastic as they could wish;
Were called upon to exercise their skill, 35
Not in Utopia, subterranean [8] fields,
Or some secreted island, Heaven knows where!
But in the very world, which is the world
Of all of us,--the place where in the end
We find our happiness, or not at all! 40
* * * * *
VARIANTS ON THE TEXT
[Variant 1: "were" omitted from the 1820 edition only. ]
[Variant 2:
1809.
. . . us . . . 'The Prelude', 1850. ]
[Variant 3:
1815.
. . . Enchanter . . . 1809. ]
[Variant 4:
1832.
(To take an image which was felt no doubt 1809.
(As at some moments might not be unfelt 'The Prelude', 1850. ]
[Variant 5:
1815.
Their ministers--used to stir in lordly wise 1809. ]
[Variant 6:
1815.
And deal . . . 1809. ]
[Variant 7: "both" 'italicised' from 1815 to 1832, and also in 'The
Prelude'. ]
[Variant 8:
1832
. . . subterraneous . . . 1809. ]
Compare Coleridge's remarks in 'The Friend', vol. ii. p. 38, before
quoting this poem,
"My feelings and imagination did not remain unkindled in this general
conflagration; and I confess I should be more inclined to be ashamed
than proud of myself if they had! I was a sharer in the general
vortex, though my little world described the path of its revolution in
an orbit of its own," etc.
Ed.
* * * * *
ODE TO DUTY
Composed 1805. --Published 1807
"Jam non consilio bonus, sed more eo perductus, ut non tantum recte
facere possim, sed nisi recte facere non possim. " [A]
[This Ode is on the model of Gray's 'Ode to Adversity', which
is copied from Horace's Ode to Fortune. Many and many a
time have I been twitted by my wife and sister for having
forgotten this dedication of myself to the stern law-giver.
Transgressor indeed I have been from hour to hour, from day
to day: I would fain hope, however, not more flagrantly, or
in a worse way than most of my tuneful brethren. But these
last words are in a wrong strain. We should be rigorous to
ourselves, and forbearing, if not indulgent, to others; and, if
we make comparison at all, it ought to be with those who have
morally excelled us. --I. F. ]
In pencil on the MS. ,
"But is not the first stanza of Gray's from a chorus of AEschylus? And
is not Horace's Ode also modelled on the Greek? "
This poem was placed by Wordsworth among his "Poems of Sentiment and
Reflection. "--Ed.
Stern Daughter of the Voice of God!
O Duty! if that name thou love
Who art a light to guide, a rod
To check the erring, and reprove;
Thou, who art victory and law 5
When empty terrors overawe;
From vain temptations dost set free;
And calm'st the weary strife of frail humanity! [1]
There are who ask not if thine eye
Be on them; who, in love and truth, 10
Where no misgiving is, rely
Upon the genial sense of youth: [B]
Glad Hearts! without reproach or blot;
Who do thy work, [2] and know it not:
Oh, if through confidence misplaced 15
They fail, thy saving arms, dread Power! around them cast. [3]
Serene will be our days and bright,
And happy will our nature be,
When love is an unerring light,
And joy its own security. 20
And they a blissful course may hold
Even now, who, not unwisely bold, [4]
Live in the spirit of this creed;
Yet seek thy firm support, [5] according to their need.
I, loving freedom, and untried; 25
No sport of every random gust,
Yet being to myself a guide,
Too blindly have reposed my trust:
And oft, when in my heart was heard
Thy timely mandate, I deferred 30
The task, in smoother walks to stray; [6]
But thee I now [7] would serve more strictly, if I may.
Through no disturbance of my soul,
Or strong compunction in me wrought,
I supplicate for thy control; 35
But in the quietness of thought:
Me this unchartered freedom tires; [C]
I feel the weight of chance-desires:
My hopes no more must change their name,
I long for a repose that [8] ever is the same. 40
[9]
Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear
The Godhead's most benignant grace;
Nor know we any thing so [10] fair
As is the smile upon thy face: [D]
Flowers laugh before thee on their beds 45
And fragrance in thy footing treads; [E]
Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong;
And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.
To humbler functions, awful Power!
I call thee: I myself commend 50
Unto thy guidance from this hour;
Oh, let my weakness have an end!
Give unto me, made lowly wise,
The spirit of self-sacrifice;
The confidence of reason give; 55
And in the light of truth thy Bondman let me live! [F]
* * * * *
VARIANTS ON THE TEXT
[Variant 1:
1815
From strife and from despair; a glorious ministry. 1807. ]
[Variant 2:
. . . the right . . . MS.
. . . thy will . . . MS. ]
[Variant 3:
1837.
May joy be theirs while life shall last!
And Thou, if they should totter, teach them to stand fast! 1807.
Long may the kindly impulse last!
But Thou, . . . 1827.
And may that genial sense remain, when youth is past. MS. ]
[Variant 4:
1827.
And bless'd are they who in the main
This faith, even now, do entertain: 1807.
Even now this creed do entertain MS.
This holy creed do entertain MS. ]
[Variant 5:
1845.
Yet find that other strength, . . . 1807.
Yet find thy firm support, . . . 1837. ]
[Variant 6:
1827.
Resolved that nothing e'er should press
Upon my present happiness,
I shoved unwelcome tasks away; 1807.
Full oft, when in my heart was heard
Thy timely mandate, I deferred
The task imposed, from day to day; 1815. ]
[Variant 7:
But henceforth I would . . . MS. ]
[Variant 8:
1827.
. . . which . . . 1807. ]
[Variant 9:
Yet not the less would I throughout
Still act according to the voice
Of my own wish; and feel past doubt
That my submissiveness was choice:
Not seeking in the school of pride
For "precepts over dignified,"
Denial and restraint I prize
No farther than they breed a second Will more wise.
Only in the edition of 1807. ]
[Variant 10:
. . . more . . . MS. ]
* * * * *
FOOTNOTES ON THE TEXT
[Footnote A: This motto was added in the edition of 1837. --Ed. ]
[Footnote B: Compare S. T. C. in 'The Friend' (edition 1818, vol. iii.
p. 62),
"Its instinct, its safety, its benefit, its glory is to love, to
admire, to feel, and to labour. "
Ed. ]
[Footnote C: Compare Churchill's 'Gotham', i. 49:
'An Englishman in chartered freedom born. '
Ed. ]
[Footnote D: Compare in 'Sartor Resartus',
"Happy he for whom a kind of heavenly sun brightens it [Necessity]
into a ring of Duty, and plays round it with beautiful prismatic
refractions. "
Ed. ]
[Footnote E: Compare Persius, 'Satura', ii. l. 38:
'Quidquic calcaverit hic, rosa fiat. '
And Ben Jonson, in 'The Sad Shepherd', act I. scene i. ll. 8, 9:
'And where she went, the flowers took thickest root,
As she had sow'd them with her odorous foot. '
Also, a similar reference to Aphrodite in Hesiod, 'Theogony', vv. 192
'seq. '--Ed. ]
[Footnote F: Compare S. T. C. in 'The Friend' (edition 1818), vol. iii.
p. 64. --Ed. ]
Mr. J. R. Tutin has supplied me with the text of a proof copy of the
sheets of the edition of 1807, which was cancelled by Wordsworth, in
which the following stanzas take the place of the first four of that
edition:
'There are who tread a blameless way
In purity, and love, and truth,
Though resting on no better stay
Than on the genial sense of youth:
Glad Hearts! without reproach or blot;
Who do the right, and know it not:
May joy be theirs while life shall last
And may a genial sense remain, when youth is past.
Serene would be our days and bright;
And happy would our nature be;
If Love were an unerring light;
And Joy its own security.
And bless'd are they who in the main,
This creed, even now, do entertain,
Do in this spirit live; yet know
That Man hath other hopes; strength which elsewhere must grow.
I, loving freedom, and untried;
No sport of every random gust,
Yet being to myself a guide,
Too blindly have reposed my trust;
Resolv'd that nothing e'er should press
Upon my present happiness,
I shov'd unwelcome tasks away:
But henceforth I would serve; and strictly if I may.
O Power of DUTY! sent from God
To enforce on earth his high behest,
And keep us faithful to the road
Which conscience hath pronounc'd the best:
Thou, who art Victory and Law
When empty terrors overawe;
From vain temptations dost set free,
From Strife, and from Despair, a glorious Ministry! [G]'
Ed.
[Footnote G: In the original MS. sent to the printer, I find that this
stanza was transcribed by Coleridge. --Ed. ]
* * * * *
TO A SKY-LARK
Composed 1805. --Published 1807
[Rydal Mount, 1825. [A]--I. F. ]
In pencil opposite,
"Where there are no skylarks; but the poet is everywhere. "
In the edition of 1807 this is No. 2 of the "Poems, composed during a
Tour, chiefly on foot. " [B] In 1815 it became one of the "Poems of the
Fancy. "--Ed.
Up with me! up with me into the clouds!
For thy song, Lark, is strong;
Up with me, up with me into the clouds!
Singing, singing,
With clouds and sky [1] about thee ringing, 5
Lift me, guide me till I find
That spot which seems so to thy mind!
I have walked through wildernesses dreary,
And [2] to-day my heart is weary;
Had I now the wings [3] of a Faery, 10
Up to thee would I fly.
There is madness about thee, and joy divine
In that song of thine;
Lift me, guide me high and high [4]
To thy banqueting-place in the sky. 15
Joyous as morning, [5]
Thou art laughing and scorning;
Thou hast a nest for thy love and thy rest,
And, though little troubled with sloth,
Drunken Lark!
thou would'st be loth 20
To be such a traveller as I.
Happy, happy Liver,
With a soul as strong as a mountain river
Pouring out praise to the almighty Giver,
Joy and jollity be with us both! 25
Alas! my journey, rugged and uneven,
Through prickly moors or dusty ways must wind;
But hearing thee, or others of thy kind,
As full of gladness and as free of heaven,
I, with my fate contented, will plod on, 30
And hope for higher raptures, when life's day is done. [6]
* * * * *
VARIANTS ON THE TEXT
[Variant 1:
1827.
With all the heav'ns . . . 1807]
[Variant 2:
But . . . MS. ]
[Variant 3:
1815.
the soul . . . 1807. ]
[Variant 4:
1832.
Up with me, up with me, high and high, . . . 1807. ]
[Variant 5: This and the previous stanza were omitted in the edition of
1827, but restored in that of 1832. ]
[Variant 6:
1827.
Joy and jollity be with us both!
Hearing thee, or else some other,
As merry a Brother,
I on the earth will go plodding on,
By myself, chearfully, till the day is done. 1807.
What though my course be rugged and uneven,
To prickly moors and dusty ways confined,
Yet, hearing thee, or others of thy kind,
As full of gladness and as free of heaven,
I on the earth will go plodding on,
By myself, cheerfully, till the day is done. 1820. ]
* * * * *
FOOTNOTES ON THE TEXT
[Footnote A: So it is printed in the 'Prose Works of Wordsworth' (1876);
but the date was 1805. --Ed. ]
[Footnote B: In a MS. copy this series is called "Poems composed 'for
amusement' during a Tour, chiefly on foot. "--Ed. ]
Compare this poem with Shelley's 'Skylark', and with Wordsworth's poem,
on the same subject, written in the year 1825, and the last five stanzas
of his 'Morning Exercise' written in 1827; also with William Watson's
'First Skylark of Spring', 1895. --Ed.
* * * * *
FIDELITY
Composed 1805. --Published 1807
[The young man whose death gave occasion to this poem was named Charles
Gough, and had come early in the spring to Patterdale for the sake of
angling. While attempting to cross over Helvellyn to Grasmere he slipped
from a steep part of the rock where the ice was not thawed, and
perished. His body was discovered as described in this poem. Walter
Scott heard of the accident, and both he and I, without either of us
knowing that the other had taken up the subject, each wrote a poem in
admiration of the dog's fidelity. His contains a most beautiful stanza:
"How long did'st thou think that his silence was slumber!
When the wind waved his garment how oft did'st thou start! "
I will add that the sentiment in the last four lines of the last stanza
of my verses was uttered by a shepherd with such exactness, that a
traveller, who afterwards reported his account in print, was induced to
question the man whether he had read them, which he had not. --I. F. ]
One of the "Poems of Sentiment and Reflection. "--Ed.
A barking sound the Shepherd hears,
A cry as of a dog or fox;
He halts--and searches with his eyes
Among the scattered rocks:
And now at distance can discern 5
A stirring in a brake of fern;
And instantly a dog is seen,
Glancing through that covert green. [1]
The Dog is not of mountain breed;
Its motions, too, are wild and shy; 10
With something, as the Shepherd thinks,
Unusual in its cry:
Nor is there any one in sight
All round, in hollow or on height;
Nor shout, nor whistle strikes his ear; 15
What is the creature doing here?
It was a cove, a huge recess,
That keeps, till June, December's snow;
A lofty precipice in front,
A silent tarn [A] below! [B] 20
Far in the bosom of Helvellyn,
Remote from public road or dwelling,
Pathway, or cultivated land;
From trace of human foot or hand.
There sometimes doth [2] a leaping fish 25
Send through the tarn a lonely cheer;
The crags repeat the raven's croak, [C]
In symphony austere;
Thither the rainbow comes--the cloud--
And mists that spread the flying shroud; 30
And sunbeams; and the sounding blast,
That, if it could, would hurry past;
But that enormous barrier holds [3] it fast.
Not free from boding thoughts, [4] a while
The Shepherd stood; then makes his way 35
O'er rocks and stones, following the Dog [5]
As quickly as he may;
Nor far had gone before he found
A human skeleton on the ground;
The appalled Discoverer with a sigh [6] 40
Looks round, to learn the history.
From those abrupt and perilous rocks
The Man had fallen, that place of fear!
At length upon the Shepherd's mind
It breaks, and all is clear: 45
He instantly recalled the name, [7]
And who he was, and whence he came;
Remembered, too, the very day
On which the Traveller passed this way.
But hear a wonder, for whose sake 50
This lamentable tale I tell! [8]
A lasting monument of words
This wonder merits well.
The Dog, which still was hovering nigh,
Repeating the same timid cry, 55
This Dog, had been through three months' space
A dweller in that savage place.
Yes, proof was plain that, since the day
When this ill-fated Traveller died, [9]
The Dog had watched about the spot, 60
Or by his master's side:
How nourished here through such long time
He knows, who gave that love sublime;
And gave that strength of feeling, great
Above all human estimate! 65
* * * * *
VARIANTS ON THE TEXT
[Variant 1:
1820.
From which immediately leaps out
A Dog, and yelping runs about. 1807.
And instantly a Dog is seen,
Glancing from that covert green. 1815. ]
[Variant 2:
1820.
. . . does . . . 1807. ]
[Variant 3:
1837.
binds 1807. ]
[Variant 4:
1815.
Not knowing what to think 1807. ]
[Variant 5:
1837.
Towards the Dog, o'er rocks and stones, 1807. ]
[Variant 6:
1815.
Sad sight! the Shepherd with a sigh 1807. ]
[Variant 7:
And signs and circumstances dawned
Till everything was clear;
He made discovery of his name. MS. ]
[Variant 8:
1815.
But hear a wonder now, for sake
Of which this mournful Tale I tell! 1807. ]
[Variant 9:
1827.
On which the Traveller thus had died 1807. ]
* * * * *
FOOTNOTES ON THE TEXT
[Footnote A: Tarn is a _small_ Mere or Lake mostly high up in the
mountains,--W. W. ]
[Footnote B: Compare the reference to Helvellyn, and its "deep coves,
shaped by skeleton arms," in the 'Musings near Aquapendente' (1837).
Wordsworth here describes Red Tarn, under Helvellyn, to the east; but
Charles Gough was killed on the Kepplecove side of Swirell Edge, and not
at Red Tarn. Bishop Watson of Llandaff, writing to Hayley (see
'Anecdotes of the Life of Bishop Watson', p. 440), writes about Charles
Gouche (evidently Gough). He had been lodging at "the Cherry Inn," near
Wytheburn, sometime before his death. --Ed. ]
[Footnote C: Compare 'The Excursion', book iv. ll. 1185-94. --Ed. ]
Thomas Wilkinson--referred to in the notes to 'The Solitary Reaper',
vol. ii. pp. 399, 400, and the verses 'To the Spade of a Friend', in
vol. iv. --alludes to this incident at some length in his poem, 'Emont
Vale'. Wilkinson attended the funeral of young Gough, and writes of the
incident with feeling, but without inspiration. Gough perished early in
April, and his body was not found till July 22nd, 1805. A reference to
his fate will be found in Lockhart's 'Life of Scott' (vol. ii. p. 274);
also in a letter of Mr. Luff of Patterdale, to his wife, July 23rd,
1805. Henry Crabb Robinson records (see his 'Diary, Reminiscences',
etc. , vol. ii. p. 25) a conversation with Wordsworth, in which he said
of this poem, that "he purposely made the narrative as prosaic as
possible, in order that no discredit might be thrown on the truth of the
incident. "--Ed.
* * * * *
INCIDENT CHARACTERISTIC OF A FAVOURITE DOG [A]
Composed 1805. --Published 1807
[This dog I knew well. It belonged to Mrs. Wordsworth's brother, Mr.
Thomas Hutchinson, who then lived at Sockburn-on-the-Tees, a beautiful
retired situation, where I used to visit him and his sisters before my
marriage. My sister and I spent many months there after my return from
Germany in 1799--I. F. ]
One of the "Poems of Sentiment and Reflection. "--Ed.
On his morning rounds the Master
Goes to learn how all things fare;
Searches pasture after pasture,
Sheep and cattle eyes with care;
And, for silence or for talk, 5
He hath comrades in his walk;
Four dogs, each pair of different breed,
Distinguished two for scent, and two for speed.
See a hare before him started!
--Off they fly in earnest chase; 10
Every dog is eager-hearted,
All the four are in the race:
And the hare whom they pursue,
Knows from instinct [1] what to do;
Her hope is near: no turn she makes; 15
But, like an arrow, to the river takes.
Deep the river was, and crusted
Thinly by a one night's frost;
But the nimble Hare hath trusted
To the ice, and safely crost; so 20
She hath crost, and without heed
All are following at full speed,
When, lo! the ice, so thinly spread,
Breaks--and the greyhound, DART, is over-head!
Better fate have PRINCE and SWALLOW--25
See them cleaving to the sport!
MUSIC has no heart to follow,
Little MUSIC, she stops short.
She hath neither wish nor heart,
Hers is now another part: 30
A loving creature she, and brave!
And fondly strives [2] her struggling friend to save.
From the brink her paws she stretches,
Very hands as you would say!
And afflicting moans she fetches, 35
As he breaks the ice away.
For herself she hath no fears,--
Him alone she sees and hears,--
Makes efforts with complainings; nor gives o'er
Until her fellow sinks to re-appear no more. [3] 40
* * * * *
VARIANTS ON THE TEXT
[Variant 1:
1837.
Hath an instinct . . . 1807. ]
[Variant 2:
1815.
And doth her best . . . 1807. ]
[Variant 3:
1837.
Makes efforts and complainings; nor gives o'er
Until her Fellow sunk, and reappear'd no more. 1807.
. . . sank, . . . 1820. ]
* * * * *
FOOTNOTE ON THE TEXT
[Footnote A: In 1807 and 1815 the title was 'Incident, Characteristic of
a favourite Dog, which belonged to a Friend of the Author'. --Ed. ]
* * * * *
TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY OF THE SAME DOG
Composed 1805. --Published 1807
[Was written at the same time, 1805. The Dog Music died, aged and blind,
by falling into a draw-well at Gallow] Hill, to the great grief of the
family of the Hutchinsons, who, as has been before mentioned, had
removed to that place from Sockburn. --I. F. ]
One of the "Poems of Sentiment and Reflection. "--Ed.
Lie [1] here, without a record of thy worth,
Beneath a [2] covering of the common earth!
It is not from unwillingness to praise,
Or want of love, that here no Stone we raise;
More thou deserv'st; but _this_ man gives to man, 5
Brother to brother, _this_ is all we can.
Yet [3] they to whom thy virtues made thee dear
Shall find thee through all changes of the year:
This Oak points out thy grave; the silent tree
Will gladly stand a monument of thee. 10
We grieved for thee, and wished thy end were past; [4]
And willingly have laid thee here at last:
For thou hadst lived till every thing that cheers
In thee had yielded to the weight of years;
Extreme old age had wasted thee away, 15
And left thee but a glimmering of the day;
Thy ears were deaf, and feeble were thy knees,--
I saw thee stagger in the summer breeze,
Too weak to stand against its sportive breath,
And ready for the gentlest stroke of death. 20
It came, and we were glad; yet tears were shed;
Both man and woman wept when thou wert dead;
Not only for a thousand thoughts that were,
Old household thoughts, in which thou hadst thy share;
But for some precious boons vouchsafed to thee, 25
Found scarcely any where in like degree!
For love, that comes wherever life and sense
Are given by God, in thee was most intense; [5]
A chain of heart, a feeling of the mind,
A tender sympathy, which did thee bind 30
Not only to us Men, but to thy Kind:
Yea, for thy fellow-brutes in thee we saw
A soul [6] of love, love's intellectual law:--
Hence, if we wept, it was not done in shame;
Our tears from passion and from reason came, 35
And, therefore, shalt thou be an honoured name!
* * * * *
VARIANTS ON THE TEXT
[Variant 1: In the editions of 1807 to 1820 the following lines began
the poem. They were withdrawn in 1827.
Lie here sequester'd:--be this little mound
For ever thine, and be it holy ground! ]
[Variant 2:
1827.
Beneath the . . . 1807. ]
[Variant 3:
But . . . MS. ]
[Variant 4:
1837.
I pray'd for thee, and that thy end were past; 1807.
I grieved for thee, and wished thy end were past; 1820. ]
[Variant 5:
1837.
For love, that comes to all; the holy sense,
Best gift of God, in thee was most intense; 1807. ]
[Variant 6:
1837.
The soul . . . 1807. ]
* * * * *
TO THE DAISY (#4)
Composed 1805. --Published 1815
Placed by Wordsworth among his "Epitaphs and Elegiac Pieces. "--Ed.
Were roused, and lively natures rapt away! 20
They who had fed their childhood upon dreams,
The playfellows of fancy, who had made
All powers of swiftness, subtilty, and strength
Their ministers,--who in lordly wise had stirred [5]
Among the grandest objects of the sense, 25
And dealt [6] with whatsoever they found there
As if they had within some lurking right
To wield it;--they, too, who, of gentle mood,
Had watched all gentle motions, and to these
Had fitted their own thoughts, schemers more mild, 30
And in the region of their peaceful selves;--
Now was it that both [7] found, the meek and lofty
Did both find, helpers to their heart's desire,
And stuff at hand, plastic as they could wish;
Were called upon to exercise their skill, 35
Not in Utopia, subterranean [8] fields,
Or some secreted island, Heaven knows where!
But in the very world, which is the world
Of all of us,--the place where in the end
We find our happiness, or not at all! 40
* * * * *
VARIANTS ON THE TEXT
[Variant 1: "were" omitted from the 1820 edition only. ]
[Variant 2:
1809.
. . . us . . . 'The Prelude', 1850. ]
[Variant 3:
1815.
. . . Enchanter . . . 1809. ]
[Variant 4:
1832.
(To take an image which was felt no doubt 1809.
(As at some moments might not be unfelt 'The Prelude', 1850. ]
[Variant 5:
1815.
Their ministers--used to stir in lordly wise 1809. ]
[Variant 6:
1815.
And deal . . . 1809. ]
[Variant 7: "both" 'italicised' from 1815 to 1832, and also in 'The
Prelude'. ]
[Variant 8:
1832
. . . subterraneous . . . 1809. ]
Compare Coleridge's remarks in 'The Friend', vol. ii. p. 38, before
quoting this poem,
"My feelings and imagination did not remain unkindled in this general
conflagration; and I confess I should be more inclined to be ashamed
than proud of myself if they had! I was a sharer in the general
vortex, though my little world described the path of its revolution in
an orbit of its own," etc.
Ed.
* * * * *
ODE TO DUTY
Composed 1805. --Published 1807
"Jam non consilio bonus, sed more eo perductus, ut non tantum recte
facere possim, sed nisi recte facere non possim. " [A]
[This Ode is on the model of Gray's 'Ode to Adversity', which
is copied from Horace's Ode to Fortune. Many and many a
time have I been twitted by my wife and sister for having
forgotten this dedication of myself to the stern law-giver.
Transgressor indeed I have been from hour to hour, from day
to day: I would fain hope, however, not more flagrantly, or
in a worse way than most of my tuneful brethren. But these
last words are in a wrong strain. We should be rigorous to
ourselves, and forbearing, if not indulgent, to others; and, if
we make comparison at all, it ought to be with those who have
morally excelled us. --I. F. ]
In pencil on the MS. ,
"But is not the first stanza of Gray's from a chorus of AEschylus? And
is not Horace's Ode also modelled on the Greek? "
This poem was placed by Wordsworth among his "Poems of Sentiment and
Reflection. "--Ed.
Stern Daughter of the Voice of God!
O Duty! if that name thou love
Who art a light to guide, a rod
To check the erring, and reprove;
Thou, who art victory and law 5
When empty terrors overawe;
From vain temptations dost set free;
And calm'st the weary strife of frail humanity! [1]
There are who ask not if thine eye
Be on them; who, in love and truth, 10
Where no misgiving is, rely
Upon the genial sense of youth: [B]
Glad Hearts! without reproach or blot;
Who do thy work, [2] and know it not:
Oh, if through confidence misplaced 15
They fail, thy saving arms, dread Power! around them cast. [3]
Serene will be our days and bright,
And happy will our nature be,
When love is an unerring light,
And joy its own security. 20
And they a blissful course may hold
Even now, who, not unwisely bold, [4]
Live in the spirit of this creed;
Yet seek thy firm support, [5] according to their need.
I, loving freedom, and untried; 25
No sport of every random gust,
Yet being to myself a guide,
Too blindly have reposed my trust:
And oft, when in my heart was heard
Thy timely mandate, I deferred 30
The task, in smoother walks to stray; [6]
But thee I now [7] would serve more strictly, if I may.
Through no disturbance of my soul,
Or strong compunction in me wrought,
I supplicate for thy control; 35
But in the quietness of thought:
Me this unchartered freedom tires; [C]
I feel the weight of chance-desires:
My hopes no more must change their name,
I long for a repose that [8] ever is the same. 40
[9]
Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear
The Godhead's most benignant grace;
Nor know we any thing so [10] fair
As is the smile upon thy face: [D]
Flowers laugh before thee on their beds 45
And fragrance in thy footing treads; [E]
Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong;
And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.
To humbler functions, awful Power!
I call thee: I myself commend 50
Unto thy guidance from this hour;
Oh, let my weakness have an end!
Give unto me, made lowly wise,
The spirit of self-sacrifice;
The confidence of reason give; 55
And in the light of truth thy Bondman let me live! [F]
* * * * *
VARIANTS ON THE TEXT
[Variant 1:
1815
From strife and from despair; a glorious ministry. 1807. ]
[Variant 2:
. . . the right . . . MS.
. . . thy will . . . MS. ]
[Variant 3:
1837.
May joy be theirs while life shall last!
And Thou, if they should totter, teach them to stand fast! 1807.
Long may the kindly impulse last!
But Thou, . . . 1827.
And may that genial sense remain, when youth is past. MS. ]
[Variant 4:
1827.
And bless'd are they who in the main
This faith, even now, do entertain: 1807.
Even now this creed do entertain MS.
This holy creed do entertain MS. ]
[Variant 5:
1845.
Yet find that other strength, . . . 1807.
Yet find thy firm support, . . . 1837. ]
[Variant 6:
1827.
Resolved that nothing e'er should press
Upon my present happiness,
I shoved unwelcome tasks away; 1807.
Full oft, when in my heart was heard
Thy timely mandate, I deferred
The task imposed, from day to day; 1815. ]
[Variant 7:
But henceforth I would . . . MS. ]
[Variant 8:
1827.
. . . which . . . 1807. ]
[Variant 9:
Yet not the less would I throughout
Still act according to the voice
Of my own wish; and feel past doubt
That my submissiveness was choice:
Not seeking in the school of pride
For "precepts over dignified,"
Denial and restraint I prize
No farther than they breed a second Will more wise.
Only in the edition of 1807. ]
[Variant 10:
. . . more . . . MS. ]
* * * * *
FOOTNOTES ON THE TEXT
[Footnote A: This motto was added in the edition of 1837. --Ed. ]
[Footnote B: Compare S. T. C. in 'The Friend' (edition 1818, vol. iii.
p. 62),
"Its instinct, its safety, its benefit, its glory is to love, to
admire, to feel, and to labour. "
Ed. ]
[Footnote C: Compare Churchill's 'Gotham', i. 49:
'An Englishman in chartered freedom born. '
Ed. ]
[Footnote D: Compare in 'Sartor Resartus',
"Happy he for whom a kind of heavenly sun brightens it [Necessity]
into a ring of Duty, and plays round it with beautiful prismatic
refractions. "
Ed. ]
[Footnote E: Compare Persius, 'Satura', ii. l. 38:
'Quidquic calcaverit hic, rosa fiat. '
And Ben Jonson, in 'The Sad Shepherd', act I. scene i. ll. 8, 9:
'And where she went, the flowers took thickest root,
As she had sow'd them with her odorous foot. '
Also, a similar reference to Aphrodite in Hesiod, 'Theogony', vv. 192
'seq. '--Ed. ]
[Footnote F: Compare S. T. C. in 'The Friend' (edition 1818), vol. iii.
p. 64. --Ed. ]
Mr. J. R. Tutin has supplied me with the text of a proof copy of the
sheets of the edition of 1807, which was cancelled by Wordsworth, in
which the following stanzas take the place of the first four of that
edition:
'There are who tread a blameless way
In purity, and love, and truth,
Though resting on no better stay
Than on the genial sense of youth:
Glad Hearts! without reproach or blot;
Who do the right, and know it not:
May joy be theirs while life shall last
And may a genial sense remain, when youth is past.
Serene would be our days and bright;
And happy would our nature be;
If Love were an unerring light;
And Joy its own security.
And bless'd are they who in the main,
This creed, even now, do entertain,
Do in this spirit live; yet know
That Man hath other hopes; strength which elsewhere must grow.
I, loving freedom, and untried;
No sport of every random gust,
Yet being to myself a guide,
Too blindly have reposed my trust;
Resolv'd that nothing e'er should press
Upon my present happiness,
I shov'd unwelcome tasks away:
But henceforth I would serve; and strictly if I may.
O Power of DUTY! sent from God
To enforce on earth his high behest,
And keep us faithful to the road
Which conscience hath pronounc'd the best:
Thou, who art Victory and Law
When empty terrors overawe;
From vain temptations dost set free,
From Strife, and from Despair, a glorious Ministry! [G]'
Ed.
[Footnote G: In the original MS. sent to the printer, I find that this
stanza was transcribed by Coleridge. --Ed. ]
* * * * *
TO A SKY-LARK
Composed 1805. --Published 1807
[Rydal Mount, 1825. [A]--I. F. ]
In pencil opposite,
"Where there are no skylarks; but the poet is everywhere. "
In the edition of 1807 this is No. 2 of the "Poems, composed during a
Tour, chiefly on foot. " [B] In 1815 it became one of the "Poems of the
Fancy. "--Ed.
Up with me! up with me into the clouds!
For thy song, Lark, is strong;
Up with me, up with me into the clouds!
Singing, singing,
With clouds and sky [1] about thee ringing, 5
Lift me, guide me till I find
That spot which seems so to thy mind!
I have walked through wildernesses dreary,
And [2] to-day my heart is weary;
Had I now the wings [3] of a Faery, 10
Up to thee would I fly.
There is madness about thee, and joy divine
In that song of thine;
Lift me, guide me high and high [4]
To thy banqueting-place in the sky. 15
Joyous as morning, [5]
Thou art laughing and scorning;
Thou hast a nest for thy love and thy rest,
And, though little troubled with sloth,
Drunken Lark!
thou would'st be loth 20
To be such a traveller as I.
Happy, happy Liver,
With a soul as strong as a mountain river
Pouring out praise to the almighty Giver,
Joy and jollity be with us both! 25
Alas! my journey, rugged and uneven,
Through prickly moors or dusty ways must wind;
But hearing thee, or others of thy kind,
As full of gladness and as free of heaven,
I, with my fate contented, will plod on, 30
And hope for higher raptures, when life's day is done. [6]
* * * * *
VARIANTS ON THE TEXT
[Variant 1:
1827.
With all the heav'ns . . . 1807]
[Variant 2:
But . . . MS. ]
[Variant 3:
1815.
the soul . . . 1807. ]
[Variant 4:
1832.
Up with me, up with me, high and high, . . . 1807. ]
[Variant 5: This and the previous stanza were omitted in the edition of
1827, but restored in that of 1832. ]
[Variant 6:
1827.
Joy and jollity be with us both!
Hearing thee, or else some other,
As merry a Brother,
I on the earth will go plodding on,
By myself, chearfully, till the day is done. 1807.
What though my course be rugged and uneven,
To prickly moors and dusty ways confined,
Yet, hearing thee, or others of thy kind,
As full of gladness and as free of heaven,
I on the earth will go plodding on,
By myself, cheerfully, till the day is done. 1820. ]
* * * * *
FOOTNOTES ON THE TEXT
[Footnote A: So it is printed in the 'Prose Works of Wordsworth' (1876);
but the date was 1805. --Ed. ]
[Footnote B: In a MS. copy this series is called "Poems composed 'for
amusement' during a Tour, chiefly on foot. "--Ed. ]
Compare this poem with Shelley's 'Skylark', and with Wordsworth's poem,
on the same subject, written in the year 1825, and the last five stanzas
of his 'Morning Exercise' written in 1827; also with William Watson's
'First Skylark of Spring', 1895. --Ed.
* * * * *
FIDELITY
Composed 1805. --Published 1807
[The young man whose death gave occasion to this poem was named Charles
Gough, and had come early in the spring to Patterdale for the sake of
angling. While attempting to cross over Helvellyn to Grasmere he slipped
from a steep part of the rock where the ice was not thawed, and
perished. His body was discovered as described in this poem. Walter
Scott heard of the accident, and both he and I, without either of us
knowing that the other had taken up the subject, each wrote a poem in
admiration of the dog's fidelity. His contains a most beautiful stanza:
"How long did'st thou think that his silence was slumber!
When the wind waved his garment how oft did'st thou start! "
I will add that the sentiment in the last four lines of the last stanza
of my verses was uttered by a shepherd with such exactness, that a
traveller, who afterwards reported his account in print, was induced to
question the man whether he had read them, which he had not. --I. F. ]
One of the "Poems of Sentiment and Reflection. "--Ed.
A barking sound the Shepherd hears,
A cry as of a dog or fox;
He halts--and searches with his eyes
Among the scattered rocks:
And now at distance can discern 5
A stirring in a brake of fern;
And instantly a dog is seen,
Glancing through that covert green. [1]
The Dog is not of mountain breed;
Its motions, too, are wild and shy; 10
With something, as the Shepherd thinks,
Unusual in its cry:
Nor is there any one in sight
All round, in hollow or on height;
Nor shout, nor whistle strikes his ear; 15
What is the creature doing here?
It was a cove, a huge recess,
That keeps, till June, December's snow;
A lofty precipice in front,
A silent tarn [A] below! [B] 20
Far in the bosom of Helvellyn,
Remote from public road or dwelling,
Pathway, or cultivated land;
From trace of human foot or hand.
There sometimes doth [2] a leaping fish 25
Send through the tarn a lonely cheer;
The crags repeat the raven's croak, [C]
In symphony austere;
Thither the rainbow comes--the cloud--
And mists that spread the flying shroud; 30
And sunbeams; and the sounding blast,
That, if it could, would hurry past;
But that enormous barrier holds [3] it fast.
Not free from boding thoughts, [4] a while
The Shepherd stood; then makes his way 35
O'er rocks and stones, following the Dog [5]
As quickly as he may;
Nor far had gone before he found
A human skeleton on the ground;
The appalled Discoverer with a sigh [6] 40
Looks round, to learn the history.
From those abrupt and perilous rocks
The Man had fallen, that place of fear!
At length upon the Shepherd's mind
It breaks, and all is clear: 45
He instantly recalled the name, [7]
And who he was, and whence he came;
Remembered, too, the very day
On which the Traveller passed this way.
But hear a wonder, for whose sake 50
This lamentable tale I tell! [8]
A lasting monument of words
This wonder merits well.
The Dog, which still was hovering nigh,
Repeating the same timid cry, 55
This Dog, had been through three months' space
A dweller in that savage place.
Yes, proof was plain that, since the day
When this ill-fated Traveller died, [9]
The Dog had watched about the spot, 60
Or by his master's side:
How nourished here through such long time
He knows, who gave that love sublime;
And gave that strength of feeling, great
Above all human estimate! 65
* * * * *
VARIANTS ON THE TEXT
[Variant 1:
1820.
From which immediately leaps out
A Dog, and yelping runs about. 1807.
And instantly a Dog is seen,
Glancing from that covert green. 1815. ]
[Variant 2:
1820.
. . . does . . . 1807. ]
[Variant 3:
1837.
binds 1807. ]
[Variant 4:
1815.
Not knowing what to think 1807. ]
[Variant 5:
1837.
Towards the Dog, o'er rocks and stones, 1807. ]
[Variant 6:
1815.
Sad sight! the Shepherd with a sigh 1807. ]
[Variant 7:
And signs and circumstances dawned
Till everything was clear;
He made discovery of his name. MS. ]
[Variant 8:
1815.
But hear a wonder now, for sake
Of which this mournful Tale I tell! 1807. ]
[Variant 9:
1827.
On which the Traveller thus had died 1807. ]
* * * * *
FOOTNOTES ON THE TEXT
[Footnote A: Tarn is a _small_ Mere or Lake mostly high up in the
mountains,--W. W. ]
[Footnote B: Compare the reference to Helvellyn, and its "deep coves,
shaped by skeleton arms," in the 'Musings near Aquapendente' (1837).
Wordsworth here describes Red Tarn, under Helvellyn, to the east; but
Charles Gough was killed on the Kepplecove side of Swirell Edge, and not
at Red Tarn. Bishop Watson of Llandaff, writing to Hayley (see
'Anecdotes of the Life of Bishop Watson', p. 440), writes about Charles
Gouche (evidently Gough). He had been lodging at "the Cherry Inn," near
Wytheburn, sometime before his death. --Ed. ]
[Footnote C: Compare 'The Excursion', book iv. ll. 1185-94. --Ed. ]
Thomas Wilkinson--referred to in the notes to 'The Solitary Reaper',
vol. ii. pp. 399, 400, and the verses 'To the Spade of a Friend', in
vol. iv. --alludes to this incident at some length in his poem, 'Emont
Vale'. Wilkinson attended the funeral of young Gough, and writes of the
incident with feeling, but without inspiration. Gough perished early in
April, and his body was not found till July 22nd, 1805. A reference to
his fate will be found in Lockhart's 'Life of Scott' (vol. ii. p. 274);
also in a letter of Mr. Luff of Patterdale, to his wife, July 23rd,
1805. Henry Crabb Robinson records (see his 'Diary, Reminiscences',
etc. , vol. ii. p. 25) a conversation with Wordsworth, in which he said
of this poem, that "he purposely made the narrative as prosaic as
possible, in order that no discredit might be thrown on the truth of the
incident. "--Ed.
* * * * *
INCIDENT CHARACTERISTIC OF A FAVOURITE DOG [A]
Composed 1805. --Published 1807
[This dog I knew well. It belonged to Mrs. Wordsworth's brother, Mr.
Thomas Hutchinson, who then lived at Sockburn-on-the-Tees, a beautiful
retired situation, where I used to visit him and his sisters before my
marriage. My sister and I spent many months there after my return from
Germany in 1799--I. F. ]
One of the "Poems of Sentiment and Reflection. "--Ed.
On his morning rounds the Master
Goes to learn how all things fare;
Searches pasture after pasture,
Sheep and cattle eyes with care;
And, for silence or for talk, 5
He hath comrades in his walk;
Four dogs, each pair of different breed,
Distinguished two for scent, and two for speed.
See a hare before him started!
--Off they fly in earnest chase; 10
Every dog is eager-hearted,
All the four are in the race:
And the hare whom they pursue,
Knows from instinct [1] what to do;
Her hope is near: no turn she makes; 15
But, like an arrow, to the river takes.
Deep the river was, and crusted
Thinly by a one night's frost;
But the nimble Hare hath trusted
To the ice, and safely crost; so 20
She hath crost, and without heed
All are following at full speed,
When, lo! the ice, so thinly spread,
Breaks--and the greyhound, DART, is over-head!
Better fate have PRINCE and SWALLOW--25
See them cleaving to the sport!
MUSIC has no heart to follow,
Little MUSIC, she stops short.
She hath neither wish nor heart,
Hers is now another part: 30
A loving creature she, and brave!
And fondly strives [2] her struggling friend to save.
From the brink her paws she stretches,
Very hands as you would say!
And afflicting moans she fetches, 35
As he breaks the ice away.
For herself she hath no fears,--
Him alone she sees and hears,--
Makes efforts with complainings; nor gives o'er
Until her fellow sinks to re-appear no more. [3] 40
* * * * *
VARIANTS ON THE TEXT
[Variant 1:
1837.
Hath an instinct . . . 1807. ]
[Variant 2:
1815.
And doth her best . . . 1807. ]
[Variant 3:
1837.
Makes efforts and complainings; nor gives o'er
Until her Fellow sunk, and reappear'd no more. 1807.
. . . sank, . . . 1820. ]
* * * * *
FOOTNOTE ON THE TEXT
[Footnote A: In 1807 and 1815 the title was 'Incident, Characteristic of
a favourite Dog, which belonged to a Friend of the Author'. --Ed. ]
* * * * *
TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY OF THE SAME DOG
Composed 1805. --Published 1807
[Was written at the same time, 1805. The Dog Music died, aged and blind,
by falling into a draw-well at Gallow] Hill, to the great grief of the
family of the Hutchinsons, who, as has been before mentioned, had
removed to that place from Sockburn. --I. F. ]
One of the "Poems of Sentiment and Reflection. "--Ed.
Lie [1] here, without a record of thy worth,
Beneath a [2] covering of the common earth!
It is not from unwillingness to praise,
Or want of love, that here no Stone we raise;
More thou deserv'st; but _this_ man gives to man, 5
Brother to brother, _this_ is all we can.
Yet [3] they to whom thy virtues made thee dear
Shall find thee through all changes of the year:
This Oak points out thy grave; the silent tree
Will gladly stand a monument of thee. 10
We grieved for thee, and wished thy end were past; [4]
And willingly have laid thee here at last:
For thou hadst lived till every thing that cheers
In thee had yielded to the weight of years;
Extreme old age had wasted thee away, 15
And left thee but a glimmering of the day;
Thy ears were deaf, and feeble were thy knees,--
I saw thee stagger in the summer breeze,
Too weak to stand against its sportive breath,
And ready for the gentlest stroke of death. 20
It came, and we were glad; yet tears were shed;
Both man and woman wept when thou wert dead;
Not only for a thousand thoughts that were,
Old household thoughts, in which thou hadst thy share;
But for some precious boons vouchsafed to thee, 25
Found scarcely any where in like degree!
For love, that comes wherever life and sense
Are given by God, in thee was most intense; [5]
A chain of heart, a feeling of the mind,
A tender sympathy, which did thee bind 30
Not only to us Men, but to thy Kind:
Yea, for thy fellow-brutes in thee we saw
A soul [6] of love, love's intellectual law:--
Hence, if we wept, it was not done in shame;
Our tears from passion and from reason came, 35
And, therefore, shalt thou be an honoured name!
* * * * *
VARIANTS ON THE TEXT
[Variant 1: In the editions of 1807 to 1820 the following lines began
the poem. They were withdrawn in 1827.
Lie here sequester'd:--be this little mound
For ever thine, and be it holy ground! ]
[Variant 2:
1827.
Beneath the . . . 1807. ]
[Variant 3:
But . . . MS. ]
[Variant 4:
1837.
I pray'd for thee, and that thy end were past; 1807.
I grieved for thee, and wished thy end were past; 1820. ]
[Variant 5:
1837.
For love, that comes to all; the holy sense,
Best gift of God, in thee was most intense; 1807. ]
[Variant 6:
1837.
The soul . . . 1807. ]
* * * * *
TO THE DAISY (#4)
Composed 1805. --Published 1815
Placed by Wordsworth among his "Epitaphs and Elegiac Pieces. "--Ed.
